AN A320 CREW FAIL TO ADD THE MEL TO THEIR FLT RELEASE. HAD FAILED TO CONTACT DISPATCH AS THEY WERE TASK SATURATED AT THE RAMP PRIOR TO DEP TIME. PIC SAYS IT OCCURS ALL THE TIME.

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PRIOR TO PUSHBACK FOR A FLT FROM CMH TO EWR; TECHNICIANS WERE IN THE COCKPIT AND BLOCKED OUR ACCESS UNTIL ABOUT 15-20 MINS PRIOR TO DEP. ONCE IN THE COCKPIT; I REVIEWED THE NEWLY ADDED MEL; NOTED THAT WE WOULD NEED TO ADD IT TO OUR RELEASE; AND CALLED MAINT BACK OUT AS THE PLACARD THEY INSTALLED WAS NOT WORDED CORRECTLY. WE CONTINUED OUR PREFLT PREPARATIONS; MAINT CAME AND CORRECTED THE PLACARD AND LEFT AGAIN. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY; WE HAD ANOTHER COMPUTER FAULT AND HAD TO CALL MAINT AGAIN. DURING ALL THIS WE WERE ALSO WORKING ON OBTAINING CORRECT TKOF RWY DATA AS CMH HAD A SHORTENED RWY. ONE OF THE ENTRY DOOR SLIDES WOULD NOT ARM PROPERLY AND ALL THIS WAS DISTRACTING. THE MEL REQUESTED CERTAIN ACTIONS PRIOR TO DEP AND A LOGBOOK ENTRY WHICH WE COMPLIED WITH BUT WITH ALL THE DISTRS; I FORGOT TO CONTACT DISPATCH TO GET THE MEL ADDED TO OUR RELEASE. WE DISCOVERED THIS ENRTE TO EWR. THIS TYPE OF MASS DISTR JUST PRIOR TO PUSHBACK IS COMMON. I TRY HARDER THAN ANYONE TO MAKE SURE WE ARE SAFE AND LEGAL; BUT OCCASIONALLY ANYONE CAN MAKE THIS KIND OF MISTAKE. THE DAILY LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS OF COMPLIANCE WITH FOM; FARS; MEL; ETC; ARE NUMEROUS AND SERIOUS. IN FACT; AN ARGUMENT COULD BE MADE THAT WITH SO MANY LEGAL TECHNICALITIES TO CONSIDER; A PLT'S TIME TO PROPERLY CONSIDER THE REAL SAFETY FACTORS IS REDUCED. I WOULD ADVOCATE SOME TYPE OF A LEGALITIES CHKLIST TO HELP REMIND US OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS. LET'S FACE IT -- THE REGS ARE INCREASING BY NUMBER AND COMPLEXITY EVERY YR. THIS PROB WILL ONLY GET WORSE. IS THERE A WAY FOR PLTS TO STAY ABSOLUTELY LEGAL ON EVERY FLT? MY ONLY IDEA IS TO REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL CHKLIST OR REQUIRE VERBAL DISPATCH CONTACT PRIOR TO EVERY FLT FOR REVIEW OF ACFT STATUS; WX ETC.